Air New Zealand Prepares to Recieve New Airbus A320 Aircraft

Air New Zealand has announced
that it new Airbus A320 aircraft are close to completion with the airline
expecting to receive the first of the order within the next few weeks.

Below see the time lapse
video of the assembly of the aircraft.

The full media release
from Air New Zealand can be read below:

New Black Aircraft Takes to the Skies

Air New Zealand’s
new all black A320 aircraft is nearing completion and in a few weeks will make
the journey to New Zealand to join the airline’s domestic jet fleet.

The aircraft
with its newly painted all black livery, recently flew from Airbus’
manufacturing facility in Toulouse, France, to Hamburg, Germany where cabin
interior fit-out is now nearing completion.

The aircraft
is the first of Air New Zealand’s new domestic Airbus A320 jet fleet
and is the only aircraft in the airline’s fleet to be painted with an exclusive
black livery.

“The all black livery, with silver fern motif
and Koru on its tail, is to celebrate Air New Zealand’s long running
sponsorship of the New Zealand Rugby Union and the All Blacks,”says
Air New Zealand’s General Manager New Zealand Scott Carr.

Air New Zealand
has 14 of the 171 seat aircraft on order, which will be progressively
introduced into the airline’s fleet from early February.

“The first four will be delivered this year
and the remaining ten progressively through until 2016, coinciding with the
expiry of our current B737-300 aircraft leases,”says Mr
Carr.

The larger
aircraft will enable Air New Zealand to increase capacity on routes
that are beginning to face capacity constraints at some airports during peak
times.

The current
737 fleet is configured with 133 seats, with the larger domestic A320 aircraft
increasing domestic jet capacity by almost 30%.

“The aircraft will be completed in
approximately three weeks before making its three day journey home via stops in
Gander (Canada), Denver, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Samoa and then into Auckland in
early February,”says Mr Carr.

The interior
for the new A320 fleet will mirror the recently revealed colour-scheme and
materials being fitted into the airline’s new fleet of Boeing 777-300 aircraft,
and includes LED mood lighting throughout the cabin.

Mr Carr says
the new fleet of A320s, together with the new fleet of B777-300s, will ensure
Air New Zealand continues to have one of the youngest fleets in the
world, and a world-beating product across the entire jet fleet.